More literally-ignorant thoughts on the new Cap

The issue with the new Cap costume on the cover is #34, which means that it's out in January. Given the rate at which time seems to pass in CA right now, that doesn't seem like enough time for Winter Soldier to come around to the idea of taking on the Captain America mantle.

Yes, he's comfortable with guns and knives to a degree that the other likely candidates are not, which does seem to point to him given the cover image.

But I still think that, unless something unexpected happens (always a possibility with Brubaker), he's more likely to want the Captain America role to die with Steve than to be willing to take it on himself.

First of all, he idealizes Steve. He protects the Captain America identity because he doesn't think anyone else is worthy of taking it on.

Second, he does not think he, himself, is in any way up to the job either. He's very much aware of how different the two of them are, in method and in character, and while it's possible to imagine circumstances in which he would honor Steve's memory in this way, I don't see him doing it right now. I also don't see him doing it with a knife and a gun--remember, even back in WWII, Bucky was they guy who got to do the dirty work, the things that Cap didn't (and although Cap surely didn't think these tasks were below him, he clearly agreed that they weren't things that the guy in the Cap suit should be seen doing). I don't think that his actions as the Winter Soldier since his memory was restored are uncharacteristic, but they're not representative of what he might consider the "better" part of himself, a part he probably considers long gone.

I think that if WS were at some point to be willing to "become" Captain America, he'd feel he should act more like the Cap he knew did. And right now he doesn't seem to have either the ability to--or, really, the interest in--changing his methods.

Actually, the main way in which I can see it being Bucky in the costume is if he's not in his right mind--if, perhaps, he's (still?) under the control of the Skull and Faust, who would certainly have reason to want a Captain America who really isn't what Captain America should be.

Otherwise, given the information we have to date, I'd have to guess that it's someone else. Possibly someone new.